


Freefall

by Dance_Elle_Dance



Category: Royal Pains
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Please why aren't these two together it hurts me okay, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-13 05:56:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4510386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dance_Elle_Dance/pseuds/Dance_Elle_Dance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Evan always knew she was hot. That much was obvious. But Divya is so much more than a pretty face...now he's falling for her. Hard. (Originally posted on 7/7/09.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Freefall

**Author's Note:**

> Re-post of my very first Royal Pains fanfic, featuring my favorite couple from the fandom. Enjoy!

He was a flirt.

Of course, he was. Evan knew a hot girl when he saw one, and he immediately tried to go up and charm the pants off of her (not in a literal sense as of now, because most girls in the Hamptons didn't wear pants) and get at least to first base. Except, well, most the times he ended up striking out horribly, if he even got up to bat at all.

The types he hit on were pretty much all the same - shallow, super skinny, mostly blonde but any hair color would do. Girls who didn't care much about anything except texting and parties and shopping… Strange how he would go after them like a dog in heat when he had nothing in common with them. But they were hot, and that's what he zoned in on first.

Then he met Divya.

The first time he laid eyes on her, he was taken aback. In her simple white pantsuit, with those glasses and her hair pulled into that side ponytail, he was actually more attracted to her than the other woman who came seeking Hank.

Yeah, the other girl - he forgot her name - the one with that infuriatingly short dress and the perfect skin and the flawless make up…that was the type he usually went for. But when he opened the door and Divya stood there…he felt the breath leave him. Her dark eyes captivated him through the rims of her glasses, and he found himself wondering what was underneath that professional outfit she wore.

At the time he met her, Divya was wanting to become Hank's physician's assistant, but Hank was still doubtful and not wanting to become a concierge doctor. The fact that Divya would be around them _a lot_ if she became his brother's assistant made Evan fight that much harder for them to stay in the Hamptons and give this new career path a shot.

She was smart. He knew that much. The dark haired girl was so smart that it made Evan's head swirl sometimes, though he was no dummy.

That intelligence made him even more attracted to her. The fact that she knew what she was talking about, the fact that she knew bigger words than "totally" and could probably talk the rich girls he talked to into submission just by cleverly placing a few degrading terms in words that would be too hard for them to understand, the fact that she was such a _smartass_ to him…it all made him want her more than any other of those drunk, floozy girls he had tried to get with before.

He didn't know how much he enjoyed being around her intellect until he had invited those girls over - Mrs. Newberg's granddaughter and her friends - and had tried to drop some medical terms with them, just to see if they were different. To see if they were like Divya. But they weren't, and he wasn't too surprised or disappointed. Only Divya's face was in his mind and in some strange way, he only wanted to be with her during his time with the scantily clad socialites in the hot tub.

He enjoyed their fights. So much so that he would intentionally annoy her just to get one started. He remembered what he said to Hank one day.

_"The more she's mean to me, the hotter she gets."_

It was the truth. In some sick way, he loved how their relationship worked. He says something stupid and degrading, she retorts with something that is supposed to deter him, but it only pushes him further, makes him want her more.

But a part of him, as he got to know her more, wanted something…something he couldn't put his finger on. Something _more._

Yes, he wanted her. _Oh, he wanted her._ But, somehow, that seemed to be taking longer than he thought. She was tricky, as were most of the girls he tried to get with, but after a while he would give up and move on to the next dangerously skinny girl who had too many miniature dogs.

However, Evan wasn't going to give up on Divya.

He was going to stick it through, until the end. Until he had her or she was married off to someone else. The latter scared him, and he hated thinking about Divya being with anyone other than himself.

It was strange how meeting someone so gorgeous, so smart, and so easy to be around (even though sometimes he knew he wasn't welcome) would make Evan want to drop everything and just be with her.

He knew he was falling and he didn't know how to stop it.

He didn't know how.

And even more shockingly, he didn't know if he wanted to stop it.

Evan knew she didn't want to be with him. Not now, at least. Maybe in the future, if she allowed herself to actually take a chance and fall along with him…he knew he'd be the happiest man alive.

As he contemplated this, Divya and his feelings, he sat on the beach, just gazing out at the ocean, eyes soft and thoughtful as he watched the seagulls flutter along on the sea breeze and the smell of salt and sand swirled around him.

Hank had surprised him and Divya with a "date," leaving them alone to "work out their differences" while he went on a beachside picnic with Jill. That was yesterday, and while Hank dealt with patients today, Evan had taken a jog - as out of character for him to do - to the beach and sat down in the sand, his eyes ignoring all the bikini babes in favor of wanting to see _her._

Though, his boyish mind didn't totally relinquish itself. He imagined Divya in a bikini as he walked swiftly past the women, trying not to land his eyes on them. Evan thought that no matter how many girls he saw, he would always think Divya would look better in a bathing suit than any of them did.

At that point, he knew he had it bad.

The "date" hadn't gone bad. Except for the first few minutes when they had blows when she had said, "Let's eat and have no conversation whatsoever."

Not missing a beat, he had grinned and said, "Like we're married!"

At that moment she had laughed - _genuinely_ laughed - and a bright smile spread over her face. Her dark eyes lit up and she looked so happy before a flicker of something crossed over her eyes. Like she was enjoying this too much. Like she was enjoying his company for once and it bothered her. The smile had evaporated slowly, and she looked down shyly, almost embarrassed at herself.

That was what Evan had seen, had thought, but he never knew what women were thinking, let alone someone as complex as Divya.

He sighed and leaned back on his hands, throwing his head back and letting the oceanic breeze blow over his body, cooling the sweat he had accumulated from running here. His breaths were still irregular, as he was, as everyone already knew, in terrible shape. Evan closed his eyes and saw her beneath his lids.

Snapping forward with a jolt, he groaned to himself. He was definitely getting too fond of the woman. It was making him not act like himself. Not being the playboy, or the flirt as much as he usually was. He still joked like himself, and flirted just for the sake of flirting, but it never led to anything as usual. Now he wasn't sure he wanted for it to lead anywhere. Not unless it led to Divya.

_Ugh,_ he thought, disgusted at himself for caring about a girl he had only known for about a month.

He glanced up, pulling his knees to his chest and gazing out at the waves that lapped against the sand in front of him. Evan groaned as he put a hand on his mop of curly hair and leaned his face into his palm.

He couldn't get her out of his mind.

"Evan?"

Great, now he was not only seeing her when he closed his eyes, but hearing her too.

He paid the airy, sophisticated voice no mind, thinking it to be a product of his hopes, and sank his head down to rest on his knees.

"Evan," Divya's voice was more stern now, wanting to get his attention. This time, not only the voice reached his ears, but a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder and he felt a surge almost like an electric current pass into him at her touch.

Evan finally turned his head and looked up to be met with Divya's breathtaking features. His heart jumped in his chest so hard that he thought it was going to hop out his throat. He swallowed and inhaled the salty air, trying to hide how shaky he was, trying to not notice that her hand was still on his shoulder, "Oh, hey, Divya," he said as calmly as he could muster, putting an extra edge of flirty tone in his voice. "Where's your bikini? We're on a beach."

She only scoffed slightly in response, "You couldn't handle that."

Evan blinked and then laughed. "Alright then." _Yeah, couldn't handle that. Even the image is taunting me._

"Anyway, I'm here to come get you."

"Really? Do you _need_ me again?" Evan said, smirking. Oh, he remembered her little voicemail all too well. And he enjoyed it all too much. "Because, hey, I'm always - "

"Not like that, Evan," Divya said, putting an end to that. "Hank wants you."

"But does he _need_ me like you do?"

Divya rolled her eyes and reached down to grasp Evan's arm, trying to pull him up from where he sat. Her eyebrows knitted together in concentration as she tried to get the slacker up. Evan only laughed and grasped her arm with his free hand, pulling her down onto the sand with him. She landed with a _thud_ and glared at him angrily. "What was that for?"

Evan said nothing, just pointed out at the horizon where the sun was setting. It looked as if the bright orb was melting into the crystal blue water below. The sky around it was a brilliant mixture of purple and orange swirling around and melding together like a classic painting.

He looked over at Divya, her face now showed no trace of anger, but a fascination at the sunset. She looked much like a child in awe, staring at the setting sun like it was a novelty, like she had never seen it before in her life, but he knew she must have, since she lived here.

His eyes washed over her body, glancing appreciatively at her features. The large, dark eyes, the thick hair that cascaded over her shoulders like a wave, the complexion of her skin, her lips… He noticed that she wore a yellow sundress that was slightly hiked above her toned legs due to him pulling her down to sit with him.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, her smile growing. "I've seen it before, but it never ceases to amaze me."

The smile that was already on Evan's lips grew, spreading so it touched his eyes as he looked at her. "Yeah. Couldn't agree more."

Of course, he wasn't talking about the sunset.

She blinked twice, finally feeling his eyes on her, and turned to face him, the glow of the setting sun playing on her, making his thoughts become muddled, and the words not want to come out right. So he didn't say anything, just looked into her deep, intelligent eyes with his own.

She turned away first, and he could see the tinges of a blush on her cheeks. The very sight made his heart lurch and he felt the urge to kiss her overwhelm him, but he didn't act on it. He couldn't. Not until he was sure…

"Well," Divya rose shakily to her feet, steadying herself on Evan's shoulder, not meeting his eyes. The spark he felt reignited at her touch, he noticed, "It was nice watching the sunset with you…" The statement held only sincerity, not anything else, "…but, Hank wants to see you. Not sure why…"

As soon as she was on her feet, she reached out a hand to him, and he took it with a quizzical look on his face. The minute he touched her hand, the same electric spark shot into his body, and he realized he loved the feel of her skin on his. She helped him to his feet and smiled as she did so, "…but…I figure it can't be too bad. I think he wants to relax with his brother on a night where he doesn't have any appointments - yet, that is. I saw him setting the table after we got done with his last patient for the day."

"Enough for three?" Evan said, looking pointedly at Divya, making it known he wanted her with them.

She smiled at him. "Four, actually. I saw four place-settings. Probably one for Jill, too."

Evan grinned brightly at her, and said, "I got dibs on the seat next to you."

"Ha, I doubt you could handle that, either."

Evan laughed as Divya released his hand - almost reluctantly, he noticed - and started walking away. He could resist from watching the way she walked, the curves of her hips, and her perfect figure. Yeah, it wasn't stick-thin like most of the rich socialites here, but he liked it better than all those combined.

He knew he had been staring shamelessly, but it still shocked him and made him almost jump when she turned around, looking at him in mock-scorn, and said, "You can stare at me all you want at dinner. Just come on."

Evan grinned impishly. "Don't think I won't take you up on that."

"Oh, I know you will."

She gave him a smile, one that lit up her face, much like the one he witnessed at their "date" last night. It took his breath away, leaving his heart thudding heavily in his chest, his pulse flowing fast and hard through his veins, and his throat drying up with his anxiety.

"Well, come on, then. Wouldn't want to keep your lechery waiting."

"Oh, Divya, it's not lechery," Evan said, catching up to her, looking her in her eyes. "It's mere observation of something beautiful."

Again, the blush coated Divya's cheeks, but she retorted, "Observation of something beautiful with the intention of seeing said something naked."

Evan laughed at her and the two just walked, taking the occasional crack at one another. Evan with a perverted comment and Divya with the smart comeback. It was like breathing, it was so easy to be around her. And he thought she felt the same as he did.

Divya looked at him with a smile at something smart he had said, and responded with something equally smart and even more emasculating. Evan only chuckled and led her forward, his hand on the small of her back. She straightened up, and he felt the electricity between them once more at his touch. He knew she felt it too.

The dark haired woman looked at him, lips pursed - Evan felt the insurmountable urge to kiss her again - and grasped his hand from her waist.

What she did next surprised him even further.

She didn't swat his arm away, but instead she grabbed his hand, twining his long, slender fingers with her own elegant ones. She let their hands hang between their bodies, swinging slightly as they walked. Her hands were soft, warm, and Evan felt a rising feeling deep in his stomach, like many butterflies fluttering about in the cavern of his insides.

"If you want to touch something, there you go."

"I can think of some more things - "

"Ah-ah," Divya said, waggling a long finger at him. "This or nothing, sidekick."

Evan half-smiled. "This is perfect."

The two then chuckled slightly as they approached the house. They hadn't realized how long they had been walking, but Evan had one thing on his mind.

_Divya._

And how his statement before was so true - truer than he ever thought.

This _was_ perfect.


End file.
